It seems that publishers have set their sights on the literary classics. As a result of the controversial republishing of Roald Dahl's books, where "swearing" or "offensive" references will be removed, the company that owns the rights to the James Bond novels, Ian Fleming Publications, has decided to republish its publications on the grounds of the 70th anniversary of the appearance of the first book in the series, Casino Royale.
As revealed by the Telegraph Sunday, the company commissioned a committee of readers to review the texts and has decided to bring out the novels again without racial and "offensive" allusions.
Starting in April, James Bond will no longer say "black" to designate slaves of that ethnic group, they will now be referred to as "black person". Likewise, criminals will be replaced by simple "mobsters" and numerous sex scenes that contain "more accentuated dialogue" will be altered or even eliminated, such as the one that shows Bond visiting a strip club.
In addition, a warning will be introduced to accompany the adventures of 007 where it will be remembered that "the book was written at a time when terms and attitudes that could be considered offensive by modern readers were common."
Ian Fleming Publications has stated that Bond literature has been adjusted to suit different markets, which is why "a number of updates have been made to this edition, while staying as close as possible to the original text and to the period in which it is situated".
The news comes just days after the publisher of the books of the British author Roald Dahl announced the modification of his works to eliminate possible offensive or offensive allusions. After the controversy unleashed, the publisher pointed out that in addition to the altered versions it plans to reissue the intact original books at the same time.
